Accessibility Statement

Last Updated: January 1, 2026

Our Commitment to Accessibility

The Global Hearth Collective, LLC is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for people with disabilities. We are continually improving the user experience for everyone and applying the relevant accessibility standards.

We believe:

Everyone deserves equal access to online content
Accessibility benefits all users, not just those with disabilities
Creating accessible content is the right thing to do
Accessible design improves overall user experience

Conformance Status

Our Goal

We strive to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at Level AA. These guidelines explain how to make web content more accessible for people with disabilities and user-friendly for everyone.

WCAG 2.1 Level AA means our sites aim to:

Be perceivable – Information presented in ways users can perceive
Be operable – Interface components users can operate
Be understandable – Content and operation users can understand
Be robust – Content works with current and future technologies

Current Status

Partial Conformance: We are working toward full WCAG 2.1 Level AA conformance. Some content may not yet meet all accessibility standards. We are actively addressing these issues.

Accessibility Features

What We’ve Implemented

✅ Keyboard Navigation:

All interactive elements are keyboard accessible
Logical tab order through content
Skip navigation links available
Keyboard focus indicators visible

✅ Screen Reader Compatibility:

Proper heading structure (H1, H2, H3, etc.)
Alt text for images
Descriptive link text
ARIA labels where appropriate
Semantic HTML elements

✅ Visual Accessibility:

Sufficient color contrast ratios
Text resizable up to 200% without loss of functionality
Content readable without relying solely on color
Clear, readable fonts

✅ Recipe Accessibility:

Recipes formatted with clear structure
Ingredient lists properly marked up
Instruction steps numbered and organized
Print-friendly formatting available

✅ Forms & Interactive Elements:

Form labels properly associated
Error messages clear and helpful
Required fields indicated
Accessible form validation

✅ Media Content:

Video content includes captions (when applicable)
Audio descriptions provided where needed
Autoplaying media avoidable

Known Limitations

Areas We’re Improving

Third-Party Content:

Some advertising may not meet accessibility standards
Third-party embeds (social media, videos) controlled by other platforms
Affiliate links may redirect to non-accessible sites

User-Generated Content:

Comments and user submissions may not be accessible
User-uploaded images may lack alt text
We moderate when possible but cannot guarantee user content accessibility

Legacy Content:

Older posts being updated to meet standards
Gradual improvement of historical content
Prioritizing most-visited pages first

Specific Challenges:

Some recipe photos may need better alt text descriptions
PDF downloads (if any) may not be fully accessible
Complex recipe instructions being improved for screen readers

Accessibility Testing

How We Test

Methods We Use:

Automated accessibility testing tools
Manual keyboard-only navigation testing
Screen reader testing (NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver)
Color contrast verification
Browser zoom testing
Mobile accessibility testing

Tools We Use:

WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool)
axe DevTools
Lighthouse accessibility audits
Color contrast analyzers
Screen reader software

Ongoing Process: We continuously test and improve our sites. Accessibility is part of our development process, not an afterthought.

Assistive Technologies

Supported Technologies

Our sites are designed to work with:

Screen Readers:

JAWS (Job Access With Speech)
NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access)
VoiceOver (macOS/iOS)
TalkBack (Android)
Narrator (Windows)

Browser Assistive Features:

Text-to-speech
High contrast modes
Zoom and magnification
Browser extensions for accessibility

Keyboard Navigation:

Full keyboard access (Tab, Enter, Arrow keys)
Logical tab order
Keyboard shortcuts (where applicable)

Recipes & Cooking Accessibility

Recipe Formatting

We Format Recipes For Accessibility:

Clear ingredient lists with semantic markup
Numbered instruction steps
Cooking times and temperatures clearly stated
Serving sizes and yields indicated
Print button for easy printing
Jump-to-recipe link to skip intro

Alternative Formats:

Recipes can be printed in accessible format
Content readable by screen readers
Scalable text for enlarged viewing
High-contrast mode compatible

Accessibility on Different Devices

Desktop/Laptop

Full keyboard navigation
Screen reader compatible
Responsive to browser zoom (up to 200%)
Works with browser accessibility features

Mobile Devices

Touch-friendly interface
Large tap targets
Responsive design
Compatible with mobile screen readers
Pinch-to-zoom enabled

Tablets

Optimized for touch and stylus
Responsive layout
Accessible controls

Third-Party Content Accessibility

What We Don’t Control

Advertising Networks:

Ads served by third parties may not meet accessibility standards
We cannot guarantee accessibility of ad content
Working with ad partners to improve accessibility

Affiliate Links:

Redirect to external merchant sites
External sites’ accessibility is their responsibility
We cannot control third-party site accessibility

Social Media Embeds:

Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook embeds
Controlled by respective platforms
Alternative text descriptions where possible

Video Content:

YouTube videos may have platform-controlled accessibility
We encourage enabling captions
Some older videos may lack captions

Feedback & Assistance

We Want to Hear From You

If You Encounter Accessibility Barriers: We genuinely want to know. Your feedback helps us improve.

Please Tell Us About:

Pages or features that are not accessible
Content that’s difficult to navigate
Missing alt text or descriptions
Confusing navigation
Contrast issues
Any accessibility concerns

How to Report Issues

Email: accessibility@TheGlobalHearth.com
Subject Line: “Accessibility Concern”

Please Include:

URL of the page with issue
Description of the problem
What assistive technology you’re using (if applicable)
Your browser and operating system
Any screenshots or examples (if helpful)

Our Commitment:

We’ll acknowledge your report within 3 business days
We’ll investigate and respond within 10 business days
We’ll prioritize fixes based on severity
We’ll keep you updated on progress

Accessibility Improvement Plan

Ongoing Efforts

Current Focus:

Improving alt text for all recipe images
Enhancing keyboard navigation
Increasing color contrast where needed
Better form accessibility
Mobile accessibility improvements

Short-Term Goals (3-6 months):

Full WCAG 2.1 Level AA conformance for new content
Accessibility audit of top 100 pages
Staff training on accessibility best practices
Implement accessibility testing in development workflow

Long-Term Goals (6-12 months):

Remediate all legacy content
WCAG 2.1 Level AA across all sites
Regular accessibility audits
User testing with people with disabilities

User Assistance

Having Trouble Accessing Content?

Alternative Ways to Get Recipes:

Email Request: Email recipes@TheGlobalHearth.com with:

Recipe title or URL
Prefer format (plain text, large print, etc.)
We’ll send an accessible version

Print Version:

Click “Print” button on recipes
Printer-friendly format
High contrast, clear text

Contact Us:

We’ll help you access any content
No question is too small
We’re here to help

Accessibility Resources

External Resources for Users

WebAIM (Web Accessibility In Mind): https://webaim.org/

Accessibility information and resources

W3C WAI (Web Accessibility Initiative): https://www.w3.org/WAI/

International accessibility standards

Browser Accessibility Features:

Chrome: chrome://settings/accessibility
Firefox: about:preferences#accessibility
Safari: Accessibility in System Preferences
Edge: edge://settings/accessibility

Legal Framework

Compliance Standards

We Aim to Comply With:

ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act
WCAG 2.1 Level AA (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines)
AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act) – if applicable
European EN 301 549 – if applicable

Note: Web accessibility laws vary by jurisdiction. We strive to meet or exceed requirements where our content is accessed.

Contact Information

Accessibility Coordinator

For Accessibility Questions or Concerns:

Email: accessibility@TheGlobalHearth.com
Mail:
The Global Hearth Collective, LLC
Attn: Accessibility Coordinator
30 N Gould St Ste R
Sheridan, WY 82801
United States

We Welcome:

Accessibility feedback
Suggestions for improvement
Questions about our practices
Requests for alternative formats

Updates to This Statement

We Review and Update This Statement:

Annually at minimum
When significant changes are made
When standards evolve
When new features are added

Changes Are Effective upon posting with updated “Last Updated” date.

Check This Page for updated accessibility information.

Our Promise

We Are Committed To:

✅ Continuously improving accessibility
✅ Meeting WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards
✅ Listening to and acting on user feedback
✅ Prioritizing accessibility in all new development
✅ Training our team on accessibility best practices
✅ Making recipes and content available to everyone
✅ Responding promptly to accessibility concerns
✅ Being transparent about our progress and limitations

Accessibility is a journey, not a destination. We’re committed to this ongoing process.

Last Updated: January 1, 2026
Version: 1.0

We believe everyone should have equal access to great recipes. If we can do better, please let us know. Together, we can create a more accessible web.